On-bow/off-bow archery sight

ABSTRACT

An archery sight is disclosed which may be mounted on a bow, and which has one or more sight pins or similar reference points which may be sighted over an object target, and which has an additional sight pin or similar reference point which may be sighted over a target located on the bow, so that when each pin appears over the respective targets, the precise position of the bow is defined which will produce an accurate shot.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of archery, and morespecifically and more particularly to a bow sight to improve the aim andaccuracy of an archery shot.

Aiming and sighting has always been important in archery, although suchaiming has historically been as simple as sighting down the length ofthe arrow. Ancient archers would raise the attitude of the bow, thenview the tip of the arrow and line it up with a point on the field. Thehigher the attitude of the bow and point of the arrow, the farther theshot would travel, and ancient archers became accustomed to how far thearrow would travel in such a manner. In modern times, more sophisticatedsighting devices placed upon the bow have come about, however, thesesighting devices share the common feature that some object upon the bowis lined up with the target at which the arrow is to be fired. This typeof sighting is referred to herein as "off bow sighting".

The most common sighting device in use today incorporates a rack such asthat shown in FIG. 2. As the rack 12 is commonly used, it is mounted soas to be on the side of the bow 2 opposite that shown in FIG. 2, so thatthe bow is between the rack and the archer, rather than the rack beingbetween the bow and the archer. The rack contains a multiplicity ofslots, usually three or four, and within the slots are placed a seriesof pins which may be placed as desired within the slots and fixed inplace by tightening the threads. Simply described, this type of off bowsighting is accomplished by placing the appropriate pin over the target.The series of pins accomplishes much the same function as the ancientarcher's positioning the point of the arrow over a point down field. Asincreased distance is desired, a pin which is positioned lower on therack is sighted over the target, having the effect of raising theattitude of the bow, thereby allowing for different distances. Thearcher uses the series of pins to match the desired attitude of the bowwith the distance that the arrow will travel, given the particularstrength of the archer and the bow. The archer then will generallyposition the pins for targets which are 25, 50, or 75 yards away, orwhatever interval the archer may desire.

While the rack and pin sighting device of the prior art can be set toachieve relative accuracy with regard to the angle of elevation, therebycorrecting the distance the shot is to travel, it does not aid thearcher in positively determining the spacial orientation of the bow. Theconventional one pin per distance sight is based on a single axis, whichis a line extending from the eye of the archer, through the sight pinand to the target. The spacial orientation of the bow with reference tothe viewer and the target may result in the apparent proper alignment ofthe sight pin over the target, yet the bow may be rotated inadvertentlyaround the longitudinal axis (y-axis) of the bow while the sight pinstill appears to be in the same relative position over the target.Through natural ability and instinct, sharpened with practice, thearcher attempts to reduce the spacial orientation of the bow to thesingle axis line of sight, minimizing the effect of parallax.

The present invention uses the rack and pin sighting commonly in use asa means of off-bow sighting to establish elevation by rotation in aplane containing the y-axis and the bowstring. However, the presentinvention improves the prior art by providing positive spacialorientation. This is accomplished by means of a second sighting pinlocated on the bow, and a target which is also located on the bow, whichis called herein "on-bow" sighting. The purpose of the on-bow sightingoperation is to determine a line of sight from the archer, through thesighting pin to the on-bow target, for the purpose of controlling therotation of the bow around its y-axis. In use, as will be more fullydemonstrated herein, the archer aligns the on-bow sight pin over theon-bow target, while simultaneously aligning the selected off-bow sightpin with the intended target, and by doing so eliminates the parallaxproblem, resulting in an accurate shot. The on-bow/off-bow sight yieldsconsistency and reproducibility of results. As will be seen more fullyherein, the on-bow sight pin position is set for each archer's shootingcharacteristics. While archers of similar strength and build may be ableto use the same sight pin position, the device allows for additionalpins so that more than one archer can use the bow.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a compound bow incorporating theon-bow/off-bow sighting device, and further showing a target.

FIG. 2 is a partial, enlarged view of a bow showing the on-bow/off-bowsighting device being sighted by the archer, and showing the lines ofsight.

FIG. 3 is a partial, enlarged view of the compound bow incorporating theon-bow/off-bow sighting device, showing the sight as viewed by thearcher.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the on-bow/off-bow sight only, andshowing the lines of sight.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows a compound bow 2 with the on-bow/off-bow sight 4 inventionattached to the bow, with the archer's lines of sight as the device issighted and the arrow aimed at the down field target 6. The compound bow2 as shown is of the type commonly in use today, however, it is shownwith a trigger mechanism 8 attached to the bow 2 by a support rod 10,which is not necessary to the invention. The device may be used with anytype of archery bow.

The on-bow/off-bow sighting device is shown as enlarged in FIG. 2, anddetails the features and lines of sight of the archer. A rack 12 havinga multiplicity of slots 14a,b,c is located and attached to the bow 2between the archer and the bow. It is attached just above the point 17where the arrow crosses the bow when the bow is drawn and the arrow isin place. The rack is attached so that it is in the line of sightbetween the eye 19 of the archer and the down field target 6.

The rack 12 is commonly in use and commercially available as are thepins which are located within it. The rack 12 contains a series ofparallel slots 14a,b,c, which will usually be three or four slots, intowhich sight pins 16a,b; 18a,b are placed. The pins as shown in thedrawings are commercially available, being generally cylindrical andthreaded on one end for attachment to the rack by means of a nut orsimilar fastener. The opposite end has a relatively small, circularpoint for locating over the target. However, any object having a pointwhich can be located over a target for reference can be substituted forthe pins.

The off-bow sight pins 16a,b are placed by the archer according to hisindividual strength and shooting characteristics as well as thecharacteristics of the bow. An off-bow sight pin 16a,b is located overthe down field target 6, with the particular off-bow sight pin 16a whichis to be used being selected according to the distance to the target.Through shooting experience and experimentation, the off-bow sight pinsare particularly positioned within a slot or slots 14. The farther awaythe target is, the lower the sight pin which is selected, having theeffect of raising the attitude of the bow and the tip of the arrow sothat greater distance is achieved. For example, pin 16b is used fortargets which are a greater distance from the archer, and 16a fortargets which are closer. While two off-bow pins are shown, additionalpins may be added for greater versatility. Mechanically, the pins aremoved within the slots by sliding them to the desired position, thentightening them into place by threaded means.

The present invention adds the rack 12 an on-bow sighting feature. Oneor more pins 18a,b which are virtually identical to the off-bow sightingpins 16a,b are located within the rack on a different slot 14c. Anon-bow target 20 is also located on the rack 12. The target 20 may belocated on the bow itself. As is shown particularly in FIG. 4, thistarget 20 may be round and have crosshairs located thereon. Asdemonstrated with the sight lines in the drawings, the archer selectsthe appropriate off-bow sight pin 16a according to distance, lines theoff-bow sight pin 16a over the target 6, and selects the on-bow sightpin 18a which is suited to the archer's characteristics and lines it upover the on-bow target 20. Positioning of the on-bow sight pin isadjusted similarly to the off-bow pins through the experimentation andexperience of the archer. Once the position of the on-bow target and pinare fixed, they need not be adjusted again.

While the archer uses various off-bow sight pins according to distance,it is necessary for a particular archer to only use one on-bow sightpin, no matter which off-bow sight pin is selected. Additional on-bowsight pins may be placed in the slot so that other archers may use thesight.

Once the appropriate off-bow sight pin is located over the target, andthe appropriate on-bow configuration is achieved, the bow and arrow havebeen appropriately aimed, and the arrow may be released and fired by thearcher. The invention improves the accuracy of the slot by eliminatingthe parallax problem experienced with the sights presently in use. Ascan be seen, if only the off-bow sight were lined up over the target,the bow can be rotated inadvertently around its longitudinal axis(y-axis), with the arrow's travel along the horizontal plane notdetermined by the sight. The rack and off-bow sight pins which arecommonly in use are a great aid in determining the distance andelevation of the arrow relative to the target, but aid to a lesserdegree the windage when aiming the bow and accompanying arrow. Thepresent invention accurately and objectively positions the bow as toelevation and windage by sighting the off-bow pin over the down fieldtarget 6, and the on-bow pin over target 20, which is located on thebow. Only one position of the bow will allow both targets to be sightedand it is this position which gives an accurate shot.

The concept of sighting a target which is on the bow in conjunction withsighting a target which is off the bow creates a new and unexpectedresult in increasing the accuracy of the archery shot. While the presentinvention incorporates the off-bow rack and sight pin device which iscommonly in use, modifying or adding to it an on-bow sight pin and anon-bow target, various embodiments can be used.

It would be possible to reverse the position of the on-bow sight pin andthe on-bow target. The target would need to be transparent, withcrosshairs thereon, in such a configuration. Magnification could beadded to the target if desired. Magnification could also be added eitherbetween the archer and the sight pins, or between the sight pins and thetargets, if desired.

What is claimed:
 1. In the method of aiming a bow which has a bowstring,a bow sight rack attached to the bow, said rack having a plurality ofparallel slots therein, said slots being parallel to said bow, at leastone on-bow sight pin located on said rack, at least one off-bow sightpin located within said parallel slots, and an on-bow target located onone of said rack and bow;the steps of: (a) aligning an on-bow sight pinon said on-bow target while simultaneously aligning a selected off-bowsight pin with the intended off-bow target, and(b) releasing saidbowstring from a drawn position while maintaining the alignment of saidpins on said targets.
 2. A method of aiming a bow as described in claim1, wherein said at least one off-bow sight pin is located in one of saidslots, and at least one of said on-bow sight pins is located in anotherof said slots.
 3. A method of aiming a bow as described in claim 2,wherein said at least one off-bow sight pin is located between saidon-bow sight pin and said bow.
 4. A method of aiming a bow as describedin claim 3, wherein said target is located on said rack between saidpins and said bow.